Okay, so let me just first start off by saying that I am a typical wife, and Troy is an AMAZING husband. I have a great deal to learn from him. Okay, now the story...as the typical wife, when my husband began hinting that he wanted a game system for Christmas, I pretended not to pay attention, did some dishes, asked him about work, changed the subject, anything...including convincing myself that he was kidding and didn't really want one. Why would I go to this trouble? Because I assumed that the purchase of a "gaming system" for our home would mean the following:- Total inihilation of husband due to being sucked into game playing vortex, never to return again.
- I would get upset and try to add many more unneccessary tasks to his "Honey-do" list in order to get him to not play it.
- Our future children would grow up as zombies and want to massecre and randsack their school everyday to get more "points" than their brother or sister and would be convinced that baseball, beach volleyball, tennis, and soccer were indoor sports to be played with 1-2 other people at a time.
- Troy would get fired because he thought he was still playing the video game and "accidentally" blew up the server room using Robert's Diet Coke as a hand grenade to escape the enemy's snare, etc.
- We would run out of money and Sophy would finally be able to try out her hidden talent of pan-handling (might make alot on our street, lots of nice people :)).
- If he would try to get me to play, I would obviously (given previous track record of not being able to pass level 2-or 1 most of the time-of prehistoric Mario Brothers, the Original) stink so bad that I would uncover a deep seeded video gaming complex and eventually die.
- We would have no time for each other because one or the other was always playing video games (I imagined he would always be the one, but now that I assess it again, it was my fear of being left alone with it!), and never get to watch the movies that we pay $9.99 per month for on Netflix so that we can sit beside each other and "relax" (my choice of zombie-ism).
- Troy would turn into a mass murderer or gangster or most likely end up in a high speed chase with the cops because his road rage combined with his new found gaming skills and new alter ego made him chase down an almost innocent "Utah Driver" and demand their Arbys Chicken Cordon Blue sandwich (very good by the way) and curly fries for cutting him off on the freeway. This would obviously result in a high-speed chase with the cops because he wouldn't want to give up the sandwich, and he would want to try out his new driving skills with his "Grandma Car" (as I call it, really Volkswagen Passat, not a race car though).
- Sophy would have to feed herself, change her own diaper, and end up walking out the front door to find a family that would play with the glass dishes in our cabinet with her.
- The world would end.
So, obviously, that would be reason enough for me to be right in not getting a "gaming system," right? Well, I did what any good, well intentioned wife would do in that situation. #1: I bought him a nice Christmas present, figuring that would be enough to make him forget for a while. When Christmas came, he opened his Digital Photoframe and loved it. Then a few minutes later (or the next day, I can't remember) he mentioned that he wanted to look into getting an X-box. #2: I told him we didn't have enough money (luckily that was true!). After looking through our Christmas presents from family members though, we had received a few checks and he said, "what about the Christmas money?" #3: I said I'd think about it and get back to him.(trick #3, my last one! I was running out of options!)
The next day I knew he'd ask, so I came up with a plan. I'd be okay with it and let it be his decision and trust him (which is what I should have done in the first place). So the next day we were at the store, and I suggested we look at these "gaming systems" he talked so much about. He was very excited and would have walked right out of the store with one, but he couldn't make up his mind between the X-box or the Wii. I said if I had a choice, I'd choose the Wii because I'd heard (but not believed) that it was more family centered, and interactive. The wierdest thing started to happen... I saw plenty of wholesome fun family games available on the Wii and started to get more excited about it. Troy's friends helped because they said, "hands down, Wii is the coolest technology"--which is what Troy cared the most about.
Then we started the research process. Troy brought out his spreadsheet of how affordable it could be, along with the other positive things we wanted to get out of the system. We compared both systems, ultimately choosing the Wii. Then started the process of buying one. I didn't know that I was so lucky. There were none available at any game stores from Provo to Centerville. Finally, after two weeks of looking and about 20-30 phone calls, a friend suggested that we look at SmithsMarketplace (a grocerystore much like Fred Meyers in Washington). Troy called and began shouting, "THEY ARE IN!!" --who would have thought?. I was out of luck again!--At the time he called, I was on the phone and he was almost out the door. "You forgot the baby!" I said. He came back and we all got in the car. We were about 2 blocks away when we remembered that we had a friend's carseat in our car and were supposed to give it back on the way. Soft hearted Troy said, "we should turn around and give them the carseat first." So we turned around and headed home again.
On our way, we saw a fire, and police vehicles everywhere. Apparently one of the refineries by our house caught on fire (not typical), and as we listened to the news we found that the neighborhood across Redwood road from our development was being evacuated. (For more info on the story, click here: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=5300454) We got to the neighbors' house and silly us decided to venture out and buy our Wii anyway. We charted a different route back to the store past the fire, and hoping we wouldn't be stuck with only a "virtual house" when we came back to play the Wii. We got to the store and after being told that it was not possible to find a Wii anywhere so many times before, we found ourselves standing infront of an enclosed, locked cabinet full of them. Apparently no one was thinking to go to a grocery-type store for their "gaming systems."
Troy was a happy camper, and I was getting excited too (but nervous about the gaming complex hidden deep inside of me). We left the store with about everything that you need to start off including the WiiFit. We made it to our "Emergency Dining" meal--Cafe Rio (Troy's theory, "Since we can't go home, we have no choice but to spend money on food tonight."), then had a Wiimergency as one of Troy's friends that couldn't find the WiiFit asked him to pick one up for him. So with nothing but time on our hands, and a loopy baby (laughing and probably counting each time we got out of the car after her bedtime), we went back to Smiths and purchased another WiiFit (we were quickly and most gratefully reimbursed!).
As we drove home, we found the fire was contained, our neighborhood wasn't evacuated, and were able to hook up the Wii to our real tv and power (not virtual). We have played with it after Sophy goes to bed each night when there isn't other stuff going on, and it's been really fun so far. So far, no gaming complex is coming out, Sophy has been fed and happy with no thoughts (that we know) of mass destruction, and I don't think Troy will turn into a gangster, but only time will tell...
What's your wild WiiExperience? please let us know! :)
